Lost in the Shuffle, Vikings Backup Passer Offers a Goodbye
Nick Mullens, the main Vikings backup passer from 2022 to 2024, is taking his talents down to Jacksonville to work alongside Trevor Lawrence and Grant Udinski.
Losing him stings; he is, after all, a tremendous QB2, someone who can step in at a moment’s notice to give his team a chance to win. After agreeing to become a Jaguar, Mr. Mullens was sure to pass along a goodbye on social media: “The culture of Minnesota sports will always be important to me. I’m very thankful for my 3 years in Minnesota. Coaches, teammates, staff, the fans – the place does it right and I’m so thankful I got to be a part of it! SKOL always.”
Vikings Backup Passer Offers a Goodbye
Kirk Cousins had a well-earned reputation as a borderline indestructible passer. He got hit a ton in Minnesota and somehow always found a way to keep going.
The former franchise passer never missed time due to injury, making the backup quarterback spot a bit of an afterthought for much of the Mike Zimmer/Rick Spielman era. Once the leadership changed over, though, there was the decision to beef up the backup spot.
In August of 2022, Nick Mullens went from Sin City to the Twin Cities. All it cost was a 7th, the No. 229 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Mullens went through a lot in his time with Minnesota, including playoff trips, injury, time as a starter, being benched, and plenty of quarterback shuffling.
In 2022, Nick Mullens stepped into action during four games. He went 21/25 — a sizzling 84% — while piling up 224 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He’s a bit smaller — 6’0″ and 210 — and doesn’t have the world’s strongest arm, but he consistently gives his receivers a chance to make a play.
The best chance he received was during the 2023 season. Cousins, the QB who never gets hurt, got hurt. But not just hurt. Cousins was lost for the season due to a torn Achilles. Mr. Mullens went 100/148 for the season, a strong 67.6% completion rate. He threw 1,306 passing yards alongside 7 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions. The turnovers were the main issue.
Dustin Baker wrote about that season on Vikings Territory, observing, “A gunslinging QB2, Mullens started three games for the 2023 Vikings — and Minnesota lost all three. His insertion into the starting lineup inconveniently corresponded with the death of Brian Flores’ 2023 defense. The moment Mullens took the scepter versus the Cincinnati Bengals last December, Flores’ defense stopped playing well. It was really bizarre.”
We shouldn’t forget, though, that Mullens was inserted into the Raiders game that was a defensive battle. He led his side to the victory in that one even if it doesn’t count toward his QB record since he didn’t get the start.
Fast forward into 2024 and the opportunities weren’t abundant for Nick Mullens. He had just two passes all season, completing both for a total of 38 yards. In fact, each one went to Aaron Jones and each one went for a 1st down. Not bad.
The deal bringing him down to Jacksonville comes in at two years and $4,500,000. He’ll carry simple cap charges: $2,000,000 in 2025 and $2,500,000 in 2026. However, OTC does offer a bit more information: “An additional $1.5 million is available through performance incentives.”
Nick Mullens turns 30 today. He has been in the NFL since getting snagged by the San Francisco 49ers as an UDFA in 2017. Since then, Mullens has put in work for the Eagles, Browns, Raiders, Vikings, and now the Jaguars.
Minnesota and Jacksonville aren’t scheduled to play each other in 2025.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.